No animal is happy when they go to the vet. This goes double for cats. They are not very friendly with veterinarians, so owners use different techniques to keep them calm. Samantha Smart learned a new technique in the cutest way possible with it.
Samantha and her family already have a pet cat. They didn’t really want another kitten, but a feral cat named “Ponyo” won their hearts when he appeared in their neighborhood.
The little kitten that approached the family’s Florida apartment was clearly looking for help. “It wasn’t just a meow, it was a sad little cry.” He called on the whole neighborhood to work together to find and trap him. We already had a cat so we didn’t. I really wanted another one, but it looks like Ponyo is for us.
Samantha and her closest neighbors trap him after a long struggle and then decide to adopt him. He’s too cute to be left on the street. To make the transmission smoother, Samantha’s daughter gave her best friend Ponyo a toy dragon.
Ponyo sleeps with her new friend the next night and every night after. Ponyo quickly falls in love with his new BFF, after a while it’s time for him to be ᴄᴀsᴛʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ. And what did the kitten do on that first trip to the vet? Of course took his dragon BFF.
Everyone at Operation Catnip’s shelter saw that Ponyo and the dragon were inseparable. They made sure that the two were together endlessly. The staff at Operation Catnip thought it would be great to send the dragon on a journey through the clinic with Ponyo, so they even provided it with Ponyo-like service. Everything is going well, Ponyo is a healthy and happy kitten, Samantha and her family believe the dragon played a huge role in it.
Samantha explains: “My daughter Violet spent some time picking the perfect friend for him to sleep with and decided on Dragon. He sleeps with Dragon every night and spends a lot of time dragging him around the house!”
When Ponyo finally had to be sᴘᴀʏᴇᴅ, his friends knew he might be a little nervous about going to the vet and could use some company. So they sent his dragon to keep him company.
Everyone finds that Ponyo’s toys make him feel a little more secure as he adjusts to his new place and people. So they make sure that they both stay together the whole time.
“Ponyo is a happy and healthy kitten,” says Melissa Jenkins, Executive Director of Catnip Campaigns. “Thanks to his mother who found him and brought him home, as well as our Kitten Shelter Redirection Program, Ponyo has access to vital vaccines and castration sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ to help her have a healthy life ahead.”
Ponyo finally works his magic, and they decide to keep him on their own, using the Kitten Shelter Redirection Program to start his new life off the hook!